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Originally Posted by SeeGeeWhy
China's mandate is to produce LFTR reactors within 20 years.
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China will produce them as soon as they find a way over a couple roadbumps. Just saying 20 years for their mandate is silly. If something is going to get done, urgency and/or resources will determine the timeline, not the mandate.
Heck, do you remember a recent article where some gamers tackled a complex problem in three WEEKS that had stumped "the pros" for more than a decade?
If memory is correct, the video Photon linked has a group at the end discussing solutions. They were not NASA scientists or the like, they were just smart people from different backgrounds. THAT is the type of participants needed to make this happen, and happen fast. Just like the gamers did.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SeeGeeWhy
There are a handful of private companies also racing to deliver a useful reactor (most notably Flibe Energy).
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Yes, I am aware of that. Kirk Sorenson, the guy from the video posted by Photon, started that company. I think it is even mentioned IN that video. Kirk is a former NASA scientist who knows his stuff.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SeeGeeWhy
A japanese JV, iThEMs, was designing a 10MW LFTR but closed shop this year.
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Why? Without stating a reason, this notation provides zero input into the conversation. And regardless, if one fails to succeed (for whatever reason) how is that relevant in any way to any one elses success?
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Originally Posted by SeeGeeWhy
At this point, it is just as important and costly to establish the supply chain for the fuel, FLiBe salts and handle the waste as it is to design, approve and construct the reactors.
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What the heck are you talking about? The fuel is essentially your every day Thorium. It is WASTE product from rare earth mining. Miners would rather give you the product for free than pay for it to be safely stored (which they are currently mandated to do in the US.) I think Kirk talks about THAT in this video as well.
Forgive me, I have watched every video (and read every article) I can find on this, and am forgetting what tidbit is from which one. The one Photon linked to had many of the important points.
Some of the "waste" as you call it is sometimes sold for profit. Take Plutonium 238 for example (NOT Plutonium 239). 238 is used by NASA for all their long range probes. They have run out of it. And it is not being created any other way (economically). LFTR would create this just as a simple byproduct. Win. And this isn't the only highly valuable byproduct.
Actual waste is ridiculously small compared to current nuclear plant waste (which as I indicated before LFTR can BURN UP as fuel.) If anything, costs will be SAVED here, not incurred.
Now you may have not articulated all of your points well here, so if I am missing something that you would like to clarify, please let me know.